[GypsySoul22]

We lost power for an hour.
Spoke with one of my neighbors in the complex and she said it hardly happens and if so, only for a little bit.

We' had ice storms in lower NY, too. Always lost power! Because we lived near the ocean, the potentials for ice, whatever were always there.

Now it's slushy here, messy, but later it will be a rink if it goes down to 9 degrees.

[renault]

Originally Posted by mustmove

Storms are awesome they slow life down to the VT essentials- Warm fire and hot cocoa. Plus the local snowrelocation economy gets a big boost. Bring on the storms. Everything is so pretty covered in mounds of white. Last year the snow on one side of the house was up to the eaves made it much easier to get up to the the dormer side and shovel. Plus we get a real white Christmas sledding and skiing with my kid. Let it snow let it snow let it snow.

Couldn't agree more. I love winter storms. It's so quiet and peaceful and beautiful to look at. I'll take New England's snow and ice storms over hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, dust and fire storms, any day of the week.

[Targo]

So this AM I'm following a car [VT plates] and as they enter a turn the rear end just starts to step out a bit...no big deal. The next thing I see is the REAR wheels spinning under power like mad. Needless to say the rig spun like a top off the road.

What part of "don't floor it when you're in an over-steer in a rear wheel drive car" did they not get the memo on?

Think about this: If you lose your balance, do you "think" about how to regain it......"lets see, I need to raise my left arm and move my right leg back...." if you do you'll fall down.

If your car is skidding and you think "how do I react" you're going off the road.

People need to learn how to react or not drive if they plan on doing so successfully on a regular basis.

[mustmove]

It's a subtle maneuver but giving a car or bike gas when it is oversteering isn't always wrong. Don't do it if you haven't practiced but getting the wheels spinning allows you bring the vehicle back in line in your own time instead of the wheel sliding until it gets traction then starting back the other way on its own. VT plates don't mean a thing for driving skill anymore...

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by Targo

So this AM I'm following a car [VT plates] and as they enter a turn the rear end just starts to step out a bit...no big deal. The next thing I see is the REAR wheels spinning under power like mad. Needless to say the rig spun like a top off the road.

What part of "don't floor it when you're in an over-steer in a rear wheel drive car" did they not get the memo on?

Think about this: If you lose your balance, do you "think" about how to regain it......"lets see, I need to raise my left arm and move my right leg back...." if you do you'll fall down.

If your car is skidding and you think "how do I react" you're going off the road.

People need to learn how to react or not drive if they plan on doing so successfully on a regular basis.

On dirt roads, where the gravel is loose, experienced fast drivers will sometimes downshift into a tight curve, break the traction of the rear wheels, allow the rear end to swing out and power out of the spin in the direction of the curve. You can go through a curve a lot faster (60+mph) this way while still maintaining control.

It sounds like this driver got confused and tried the stunt on a slick surface. If it was really cold, he was going less than 25mph, and the snow was dry, and just tapped the gas, it might have worked.

Practice, practice, practice. Empty parking lots are great places to try this stuff out.

[vter]

Just drove down from Montreal and had no problems. Roads were a combo of snow covered or wet (where salt was put down). Slow and steady is the name of the game. About 6" at my house. I wish we had gotten more.

[GypsySoul22]

Hope you made it to CT okay, Arel, if you went!

[Targo]

It's a subtle maneuver but giving a car or bike gas when it is oversteering isn't always wrong. Don't do it if you haven't practiced but getting the wheels spinning allows you bring the vehicle back in line in your own time instead of the wheel sliding until it gets traction then starting back the other way on its own. VT plates don't mean a thing for driving skill anymore...

Trust me, this person wasn't trying to power slide through the corner or regain straight line control on exit with power.

It was clearly a case of perhaps not even knowing they were in over-steer and just kept pressing on the gas because they couldn't figure out why the car wasn't going forward.

[arel]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Hope you made it to CT okay, Arel, if you went!

I did go to Stamford for the weekend. I just got back, less than an hour ago.

I carpooled with a friend who was also going down there. I got there Friday evening. The conference started Saturday morning. I was able to attend the whole thing.

The predictions were dire. But amazingly, it suddenly got warmer on Friday. The roads down were completely clear and dry. Driving conditions were fine. It was as if there had been no storm at all. We went full speed, and came back at full speed. I saw lots of tree branches covered in ice, and some mountainsides covered with whitish, mold-like fuzz. But the roads seemed completely normal.

How normal they would have seemed without snow tires I can't tell you. Also, I was the passenger, not the driver, so I didn't feel the road from the driver's perspective.

Some people at the conference came down from Bennnington. One reported a a difficult trip down because of the effects of the storm.

One person, I think from Massachusetts, reported a loss of electricity. He had left for the conference anyway.

But, happily, I went down and come back without any weather-related problems.

Next week, I am scheduled to go to Rhode Island for Christmas, and then, possibly, to Maine for a few days. I hope the weather cooperates.